v Page 144 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Chasing Mammoth in wild-card race, Kraken out to trim deficit
The six-game trip the Seattle Kraken just completed was supposed to make or break their playoff chances.,It did neither.,Despite going just 1-3-2, the Kraken (32-30-11, 75 points) remain only three points out of the Western Conference's second and final wild-card spot entering a Thursday home game a...

Improving Blazers see play-in-positioning opportunity against Pelicans
Winners in seven of their past nine games, the Portland Trail Blazers look to continue their strong stretch run heading into the Western Conference play-in tournament when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.,Portland (39-38) moved to the right side of .500 on Tuesday, when they led almos...

John Tortorella looks to build off debut as Golden Knights host Flames
Taking over a Vegas Golden Knights team whose season was quickly heading south, new head coach John Tortorella quickly stressed one major change.,Go north.,"Trying to get the right mindset, an aggressive mindset of playing north," Tortorella said.,Tortorella, who replaced Bruce Cassidy as head coach...

Sizzling teams, MVP candidates square off as Lakers face Thunder
Two of the NBA's hottest teams, each with players making a case for Most Valuable Player honors, face off Thursday when the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Los Angeles Lakers.,The Lakers (50-26) come in having won 13 of their past 14, including the past four in a row.,The Thunder (60-16) have won thr...

Oilers have found new gear as they seek fifth straight victory vs. Blackhawks
The Edmonton Oilers have seemingly fixed the kinks in their armor at the perfect time during a season filled with question marks.,The lack of depth and trustworthy goaltending options have continually been the topic of conversation when it came to the Oilers' struggles during the 2025-26 regular sea...

Close to a wild-card spot, Jets battle playoff-bound Stars
The Winnipeg Jets are one point out of the second Western Conference wild-card playoff spot as they prepare to face the host Dallas Stars on Thursday night.,The Jets (32-30-12, 76 points) have won four of their last five, including a 4-3 overtime road win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night...

Caps must continue late surge vs. Devils to stay in playoff hunt
The Washington Capitals look to continue to gain ground in their pursuit of a playoff berth on Thursday when they visit the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.,The Capitals (38-28-9, 85 points) have won three in a row and are 6-1-2 in their last nine games to move within three points of the Columbus B...

NHL-worst Canucks stun league-best Avalanche 8-6
Brock Boeser produced his seventh career regular-season hat trick and added an assist as the Vancouver Canucks recovered from blowing a four-goal lead to beat the Colorado Avalanche 8-6 in Denver on Wednesday night.,Teddy Blueger scored twice for the Canucks (22-44-8, 52 points), who set a season hi...

Penguins, Lightning hope to shake off erratic March in playoff push
As second-place teams having worked their way through an erratic March, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning will try to sharpen their respective games as the playoffs approach when they meet Thursday in Tampa.,The Penguins (38-21-16, 92 points), who have seven games remaining, went 8-6-3...

Timberwolves looking to avenge recent setback to Pistons
The Detroit Pistons clinched the Central Division title for the first time since 2008 on Tuesday. Now they are aiming to sew up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.,Detroit, which leads second-place Boston by four games in the East, can move closer to that goal when it hosts Minnesota on Thursd...

Hornets hope to take advantage of Suns' road woes
The Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets are both within the NBA's play-in tournament category in their respective conferences.,So when they meet Thursday night in Charlotte, it's a chance to improve their status.,The Hornets (40-36), who have won six of their last eight games, are jockeying for posit...

Deadlocked Wings, Flyers face off in critical encounter
The Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers failed to gain ground in the playoff race Tuesday, but they get another opportunity when the teams square off Thursday in Philadelphia.,Detroit (39-27-8, 86 points) and Philadelphia (37-25-12, 86 points) both trail the Columbus Blue Jackets by two points...

Sabres looking to clinch first playoff berth in 15 years in Ottawa
The Buffalo Sabres can clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 15 years when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.,The Sabres (46-21-8, 100 points) reached the century mark in points Tuesday with a 4-3 win against the New York Islanders, the first time they've done so s...

Canadiens seek 7th straight win at resurgent Rangers
A year after making a late run to claim a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens are chasing their first division title in nearly a decade thanks to a well-timed winning streak.,The Canadiens attempt to earn a season-high seventh straight victory and inch closer to first pl...

Playoff-hungry Bruins start four-game road trip at Panthers
Last season, the Boston Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015-2016. They also traded away long-time star Brad Marchand to Florida and watched him win a Stanley Cup title with the Panthers.,That was rough.,This season, however, the Bruins (43-24-8, 94 points) are currently the top ...

Roger Goodell: Steve Tisch doesn't own Giants; no violations found related to Epstein
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that New York Giants chairman Steve Tisch is no longer co-owner of the club and has not committed any violations that are subject to the league's personal conduct policy.,Tisch was named 440 times in U.S. Department of Justice documents related to sex offende...

Blue Jackets desperate to break road drought in Carolina
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time in three days when the Metropolitan Division rivals meet on Thursday in Raleigh, N.C.,Tuesday's game in Columbus was tied until 12:42 of the third period, when Nikolaj Ehlers' long-range shot beat a screened Je...

Flyers sign D David Jiricek to 2-year, $3M extension
The Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman David Jiricek to a two-year, $3 million contract extension Wednesday.,Jiricek, 22, joined Philadelphia in a March 6 trade that sent forward Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild. He has yet to play for the Flyers.,He has since recorded 10 points (two goals, eigh...

Men's NCAA Tournament TV ratings best in 30-plus years
As the Final Four approaches, some blocks of the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament have been the most watched in more than 30 years, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel numbers released Wednesday.,CBS Sports and TNT Sports averaged 10.3 million viewers through last weekend's Elite Eight, making it the mo...

Alabama hires former assistant Pauline Love as head coach
Alabama hired former Crimson Tide assistant Pauline Love as the new women's basketball coach on Wednesday.,Love replaces Kristy Curry, who departed last week after 13 seasons to become the head coach at South Florida.,Love was the associate head coach at Oklahoma in 2025-26 after one season on the A...